Planning Flashcards
Project Management
the application of knowledge, skill, tools and techniques to meet project requirements
a Project
temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service with a definite beginning and end. This might be the development of a particular neighborhood plan or a zoning code, or in my field of environmental planning, the design and construction of the C-43 reservoir as part of Everglades restoration.
a Program
is basically a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to achieve an intended outcome. Again, in my field of environmental planning, an example would be the Everglades Restoration program which consists of a myriad of individual construction and operational projects, such as the C-43 reservoir, that will be undertaken over many decades, resulting in the restoration of the Everglades. Although many of the Project and Program Management techniques were originally developed as a method for scheduling and organizing complex construction projects such as the Manhattan Project, many applied planning applications will likely be more limited in timing and scope.
Triple Constraint
A project is a balancing act of the project’s scope, cost/resources (budget, staffing), and time/schedule. Any significant change in a project’s scope, cost, or timing will affect one or both of the other two project constraints.
There is an inter-dependence of these competing demands that the project manager must continually balance.
THE 5 PROCESSES (“STEPS”) OF PROJECT MANGEMENT
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
- Monitoring and control
- Closing
INITIATING
Defining the project at a broad level, its objectives, resources involved and the final deliverable. This often can involve the preparation of a Project Charter to obtain a clear, management agreed upon, signed written document establishing:
a. THE PURPOSE. The purpose of the project being undertaken - including Project Title,
Location, Description
b. THE STAKEHOLDERS. The stakeholders in the project – including Project Sponsor, Oversight Team, Project Manager, Project Team, delineated roles and responsibilities, business areas involved, estimated resources/staff/costs required
c. THE OBJECTIVE. The primary project objectives – including Justification, Project Methodology, Assumptions, Constraints
d. THE DELIVERABLE. Clearly identified final project/deliverable, with established schedule
PLANNING
Providing a more detailed description of the project, often delineating:
a. THE SCHEDULE. The Schedule is fleshed out through a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) which uses a step-by-step listing of the tasks involved with the project.
Example of a portion of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
PROJECT – DEVELOP STUDY RESOURCES FOR AICP EXAM
1.0 Develop a CPC Study Guide for the AICP Exam
1.1 Collect & Analyze Data
1.1.1. Conduct a review of past guide efforts
1.1.2. Survey planners to ascertain their needs
1.1.2.1. Develop post-exam survey
1.1.2.2. Implement post-exam survey
1.1.3. Analyze past efforts and post-exam survey
1.2 Identify Chapter PDOs willing to volunteer to develop guide
1.2.1. Contact known Chapter PDOs willing to work on exam prep
1.2.2. Identify areas each PDO is willing to develop
Sequencing the steps of the Work Breakdown Structure places each step in the order (and timing) in which each step must occur before other tasks can be started or completed. Also included in the schedule is an indication of the overall calendar time it will take to complete a task, the actual man-hours involved, the start date, the completion date, and the dependencies (i.e. which task must be completed before another task can begin). Timewise, the longest series of dependent tasks from the beginning of the project to the delivery of the project is known as the Critical Path (or Critical Path Method). If any of the steps on the Critical Path are delayed, the final completion date of the project will be delayed.
EXECUTING
This phase is all about producing and completing the project’s deliverables, and as such, is typically the longest phase in the project, and generally requires the greatest project team efforts and the most resources. The executing and monitoring & controlling project phases happen concurrently.
Execution phase steps broadly include:
* Assembling the project team, assigning resources, and having a project kickoff meeting
* Carrying out the project management plan
* Managing the project team and the project’s progress: project tracking, status updates, quality assurance, and adjusting time, scope and resources of the project (and the project plan) as needed (i.e. Monitoring & Controlling)
* Completing project tasks and producing a quality project deliverable(s)
MONITORING & CONTROLLING
Happening concurrently with the Execution phase, the Monitoring & Controlling phase consists of “those processes required to track, review, and orchestrate the progress and performance of a project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes.” [A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Fifth Edition]
Monitoring & Controlling happens continuously throughout the execution of the project, and involves comparing actual project execution with planned project execution. If required, corrective action is implemented to produce the desired results where significant differences exist.
If the project becomes behind in its approved schedule, or needs to shorten its approved schedule, a project manager may consider two standard ways to resolve this schedule issue: fast tracking or crashing. Both fast-tracking and crashing techniques need to be used for project tasks on the critical path if they are to have an impact on the project schedule. If they are used on non-critical path tasks, they won’t shorten the schedule, as the critical path tasks will remain unaffected.
CLOSING
Closing a project is one of the most overlooked processes in project management. As a project is a temporary endeavor, it needs to have an ending that ensures that:
a. All project work is completed and any deliverables delivered and accepted
b. The project has met its objectives
c. Project costs are all captured and all project contracts and accounts closed
d. Project documents are finalized and archived
e. A lessons learned analysis is undertaken, including with stakeholders, and memorialized
f. The project’s completion is celebrated with team members
g. Team members are recognized for their work on the project with all resources, including staff, subsequently released
When utilized properly, project management can greatly assist in managing projects effectively and help in quickly resolving any problems with the project that may arise throughout its lifetime.
Fast Tracking
involves running two or more tasks in parallel (or overlapping) without changing the scope of the project. These tasks are activities that would have been performed sequentially using the original schedule, but are now going to be run in parallel, as long as the tasks can actually be overlapped (i.e. at least partly independent of one another). Fast tracking does not generally result in an increase in cost, but it can increase the risk in a project.
Crashing
a project means adding resources, typically additional project team members or approving overtime, in order to catch up on the schedule without directly changing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) dependencies. Crashing a project usually has a financial cost, but doesn’t increase project risk.
Pert Chart The “Program Evaluation and Review Technique”
The “Program Evaluation and Review Technique” (PERT), first developed by the U.S. Navy, was designed to simplify the planning and scheduling of large and complex projects like the Navy’s Polaris nuclear submarine construction, and was subsequently adopted and used by other industries and professional fields.
sometimes used before a project begins to plan and determine the relationships between tasks and their relative timeframes. They generally offer a more simplistic visual representation than a GANTT Chart of the order of the series of project tasks (often without specific dates represented) that must occur within a project’s lifetime.
Tasks in RED on “Critical Path”
GANTT chart
a bar chart that typically uses the more detailed Work Breakdown Structure to identify the individual steps of each major task. The GANTT chart better delineates the schedule and better highlights the scheduling constraints than a PERT chart.
most often used during the actual project timeframe to help monitor and track the completion status of each project step (e.g. by displaying or shading the percent complete visually within the graphic bar that is used for each step).
RED on the “Critical Path
a. THE BUDGET
Cost estimate accuracy of a project will partly depend on the reliability and detail of the Work Breakdown Structure that’s been developed for a project, and
it should be much more detailed than the cost estimation done in the Initiating stage
a project will often address the following items: time/labor, materials, equipment, overhead, and outside vendors/consultants.
Request for Qualifications (RFQ
will describe the project, provide a general description of the intended vendor’s/consultant’s role in the project, and invite firms with the necessary expertise to submit their qualifications for consideration. In the two-step process, the RFQ is used to pre-qualify firms who will then, if selected, compete for the project contract at the RFP stage. The project management team will rank the responses and select a few (3-5) firms to follow up with a Request for Proposals.
Request for Proposals (RFP)
will be more detailed, providing information on the specific services sought; additional details about the project, including history, project purpose, scope, steps, general project schedule, milestones, deliverables and budget range; and information addressing proposal submittal and evaluation criteria. The purpose of the RFP is to solicit responses from vendor/consultant firms that will provide sufficient information to determine the best firm for the project.
The applicants will respond to the requested information in their proposals and specifically describe how they plan to meet these project requirements, including providing a detailed project schedule and budget proposal with costs for each project task they will be responsible for.
Once selected, which may involve individual firm interviews, the project relationship and roles are typically formalized in a contract clearly defining the scope of work to be accomplished, project deliverables, specific timetables, required meetings, budget and other items addressed in the RFP, including the roles of both the consultant and the contracting entity. The resulting contract will serve as one of the means to keep the project on track and help address and resolve later project issues with the vendor/consultant that may arise.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Project risks, both internal and external, should be planned for as they may affect project scope, schedule, and cost. This usually involves three aspects:
i. Risk identification – risks associated with project characteristics such as the schedule, staffing, resources, costs, funding, stakeholders, politics, specific known threats, etc.
ii. Risk Analysis – assessing potential impact and likelihood of each risk occurring
iii. Risk Response – strategy for addressing each risk should it occur
Spatial planning
addresses planning a designated space or area (at the regional, community, neighborhood level) for a comprehensive variety of development issues and policies. One of the most common examples is a local government comprehensive plan that will typically address land use and long range related policies on economic development, transportation, historic preservation, environmental protection, housing, capital improvements, and perhaps other issues (e.g. hazards, climate change, sustainability, urban form).
Sectoral planning
sometimes used to describe the planning for single issue, linear or cross-community infrastructure, or particular economic segments, such as roadways, railways, waterways, transmission lines, or airports. In this manner, plans address only a single issue such as specialized planning for a transportation corridor, a park, health, housing, economic development, an institution (school, military base, prison), a port or airport, water management, food, hazards, or climate change adaptability.
